Oct 27
The Grand Cinema Tacoma, WA
TicketsJenna McKee-Johnson, PhD
Molecular Biologist
Young Frankenstein— 3D Bioprinting: Advances for Research, Conservation, and Building Frankenstein's Monster
Program Description
3D bioprinting has shown significant promise for accelerating scientific research, advancing medical interventions, including transplants and drug discovery, and supporting efforts towards conservation of specific species. But, could we use this technique to build Frankenstein’s monster from scratch? Jenna McKee-Johnson, PhD will discuss the potential of 3D bioprinting and where the limits do, and perhaps should, exist.
Film Synopsis
An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that he is not as insane as people believe, travels to his family's home country and discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.
Young neurosurgeon Frederick Frankenstein (co-writer Gene Wilder) has spent his entire life trying to live down his family's reputation by altering the pronunciation of his name ("That's Fronkensteen") and rejecting his infamous grandfather's experiments in reanimating dead tissue. But when he is forced to visit the old family castle in Transylvania and discovers granddad's lab journal, he embraces his destiny: to succeed where his ancestor failed. With the help of a salvaged corpse, a purloined brain, and an electrical storm, Frederick creates his monster (Peter Boyle) and brings him to life, with hilariously unintended consequences. The lively supporting cast of characters includes Frankenstein’s voluptuous lab assistant, Inga (Teri Garr), pop-eyed hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman), fearsome housekeeper Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman), and his high-strung fiancée (Madeline Kahn). Director Mel Brooks turns the Frankenstein legend into comic gold in this inspired parody of 1930s Universal horror classics, filmed in gorgeous black and white and recreating in loving detail the look and feel of the original movies.
About the Speaker
Jenna McKee-Johnson, PhD, is a molecular biologist who has worked in the academic, biotechnology, and non-profit environments. She is presently the Laboratory Manager for the Department of Science and Mathematics at the University of Washington – Tacoma.